Cricket: PNG upset win would tip world qualifiers out of likely alignment

Namibian bowler Christi Viljoen will be a key player in today's crucial clash with Papua New Guinea at Bay Oval. Photo/George Novak

The last ICC World Cricket Cup Qualifier Group B game at the Bay Oval will decide the three Group B teams that will advance to the CWCQ Super Six, from where the tournament champions will be found.

Today Namibia will have no other aspiration than to finish on top of the Group B standings with an unbeaten record. Standing in their way are Papua New Guinea, who have lost just once, to the Netherlands, in their three CWCQ match-ups.

The likely scenario is that Namibia will finish in the number one qualifying position if they beat PNG. However a PNG upset would open the gate for them and the Netherlands (if they defeat Kenya) to finish on six points with Namibia.

All three teams would move through to the Super Six with the final finishing positions decided by the tournament rules.

Several players from both sides feature in the CWCQ tournament top five individual statistics.

PNG batsman Lega Siaka sits third on the most runs list with 182 and is second on the most boundaries list with twenty-eight. Namibia's Louis Klazinga sits fourth for the most wickets with eight bowling scalps and is second on the best bowling stakes, returning 4/27 against Uganda. Another Namibian bowler, Christi Viljoen, is fifth in the best bowling stats with 4/33, taken in the encounter with the Netherlands.

The man of the match in the Namibia-Uganda game was top-order batsman LP van der Westhuizen, who joined teammates Gerry Snyman and JJ Smit in being awarded the top match performance prize.

Cricket gets under way at Bay Oval today at 10.30am.

Tournament details: www.cricketworldcup.com/qualification